a dose of nationalism

wednesday night was, instead of our usual yoga night, play night for me and joy. malou jacob's "pepe" was being staged at vocas that night. and i just found out that afternoon that it was for free, so i was even more excited to go. i was surprised that joy, born and bred in baguio (lucky girl) had never been to vocas before. i'm glad she liked it--the food and the place, but moreso the place, i think. i was so happy to have introduced her somewhere in my "second hometown". after a good-as-always dinner, we proceeded to the 2nd row near the stage--perfect location!
the play, as it turns out, is one part of a trilogy about antonio luna, jose rizal, and apolinario mabini. it was written as a monologue, but instead, they staged it with a lean cast. rizal is not my favorite hero. i think bonifacio is a better example of the "typical filipino", making the most of his situation, and improving himself despite the odds. but i have to say, what the play said about rizal made me a bit more sympathetic to him. and, of course, come the singing of the anthem at the end of the show, i felt that fire burning in me again.